Subscribe

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global
Breaking news

New flexi saga questions 'rubber Red Bull'

Sebastian Vettel, Red Bull Racing with front wing aero device

Photo by: XPB Images

Nov.8 (GMM) The seemingly never-ending saga about bendy Formula One cars is back in the media spotlight, and as ever championship leader Red Bull is right in the middle.

Multiple videos depicting the front nose of the world champions' 2012 RB8 car have emerged in the wake of last weekend's Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, showing the extreme tip of the front nose section to be apparently made of some sort of 'rubbery' material.

The best videos of the 'rubber' Red Bull can be seen at:

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/645/boomer.gif

and

http://www.auto.it/images/Articolo/93auto/C_5_Articolo_11971_paragrafi_paragrafo_0_testoParagrafo_1.gif

and

http://www.auto.it/images/Articolo/72auto/C_5_Articolo_11971_paragrafi_paragrafo_0_testoParagrafo_2.gif

"Is this legal?" wondered a report by Italian magazine Autosprint, with Tuttosport adding: "Should it (the nose) not be a rigid part?"

Germany's Auto Motor und Sport journalist Tobias Gruner, however, thinks the controversy is a "false alarm", because the front 150mm of the nose extremities are "always made a little softer" for the purposes of the FIA's mandatory crash tests.

But Gruner also acknowledged that engineers from rival teams are similarly analysing the images, with "at least one team" thought to have already contacted the governing body.

As ever, right at the heart of the latest technical controversy is Red Bull's designer Adrian Newey, who was recently labelled a "genius" by McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton.

"His cars are veritable works of art," agreed British broadcaster Damon Hill, who in 1996 won the championship at the wheel of a Newey-penned Williams.

"I don't want to go too far, but he is the Michelangelo of Formula One," he added.

Be part of Motorsport community

Join the conversation
Previous article Wolff on Williams' driver deliberations and the 2014 engine regs
Next article Abiteboul aims to make Caterham F1 founders' 'dreams come true' as he takes on team principal mantle

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Motorsport prime

Discover premium content
Subscribe

Edition

Global